Home Equity Loans and Second Mortgages: The Risk of Borrowing Against Equity in Your Home

Friday, August 31, 2007

By Louie Latour

Many homeowners make costly and dangerous mistakes when it comes to their home equity. These mistakes include choosing the wrong lender, borrowing too much, and being careless with their payments. Here are tips to help you avoid making home equity mistakes that could cost you your home.

Equity in your home can be an excellent source of credit. There are risks associated with borrowing against equity; because your home is used as collateral you could lose your home if you’re unable to keep up on the payments. Here are several of the most costly home equity mistakes you need to avoid.

Not Shopping For the Best Home Equity Loan

Home equity loans come in a variety of flavors. The type of home equity loan you choose depends on your financial objectives. You need to carefully weigh your financial objectives and motives before borrowing against the equity in your home. You will have to pay lender fees and closing costs when taking out a home equity loan and depending on the type of loan you choose it will have a fixed or variable interest rate. Choosing the wrong type of home equity loan or borrowing for the wrong reasons could cost you a lot of money.

Borrow too Much of Your Equity

Equity is ownership of your home. If you give that up you are starting from scratch repaying mortgage debt. If you overextend yourself with a home equity payment you cannot afford you risk losing your home to foreclosure.

Falling Behind on the Payments

If you’ve already made the mistake of borrowing too much it is easy to fall behind on your home equity payments. A home equity loan is secured by your home just like your primary mortgage; if you fall behind on your payments the lenders will foreclose and take your home. There are risks involved with mortgages and home equity loans; if you do not understand financial risk you are better off saving your dollars than borrowing against your home.

You can learn more about home equity loan and mortgage options by registering for a free mortgage guidebook: “Five Things You Need to Know About Your Mortgage” by using the links below.

To get your free mortgage guidebook visit RefiAdvisor.com using the link below.

Louie Latour specializes in showing homeowners how to avoid common mortgage mistakes and predatory lenders. For a free copy of "Mortgage Refinancing: What You Need to Know," which teaches strategies to find the best mortgage and save thousands of dollars in the process, visit Refiadvisor.com.

Claim your free guidebook today at: http://www.refiadvisor.com

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Refinance Mortgage Home Equity Loan: Consolidate Your Mortgage and Home Equity Loan

Thursday, August 16, 2007

By Louie Latour

If you are a homeowner carrying a home equity loan in addition to your mortgage, refinancing to one monthly payment could save you money. Consolidating these loans has the advantage of one lower monthly payment and you can even lock in a fixed interest rate. Here are several tips to help you refinance your primary mortgage and home equity loans without overpaying for the financing.

Refinancing has many advantages for homeowners with multiple loans. Consolidating your primary mortgage and home equity line of credit will make your monthly budget easier to mange by providing you one lower monthly payment. Additionally, you will qualify for a lower interest rate on your new mortgage than the one you were paying on your home equity loan. Home equity loans come with higher interest rates than your primary mortgage because there is additional risk for the second lender. The home equity lender passes this risk on to the borrower in the form of higher interest rates.

Refinancing is also not without risk. The main disadvantage of refinancing your mortgage is that you are starting your amortization all over again. At the beginning of your mortgage, most of your monthly payment is applied to interest and very little goes to repaying the loan principle. When refinancing your mortgage there is the additional risk of overpaying for the new mortgage loan. To avoid overpaying for the new mortgage it is important to shop around from a variety of mortgage lenders and brokers. When you compare loan offers be sure and compare all aspects of the loans, not just the interest rates. You can learn more about shopping for the most competitive loan offer by registering for a free mortgage guidebook.

To get your free mortgage guidebook visit RefiAdvisor.com using the link below.

Louie Latour specializes in showing homeowners how to avoid common mortgage mistakes and predatory lenders. For a free copy of "Mortgage Refinancing: What You Need to Know," which teaches strategies to find the best mortgage and save thousands of dollars in the process, visit Refiadvisor.com.

Claim your free guidebook today at: http://www.refiadvisor.com

Refinance Mortgage Home Equity Loan

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Louie_Latour

Further Information:Home Equity Loan


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